I have self imposed deadlines and imposed deadlines. The latter informs the former.

I have one year deadlines for each of the novels in Children, which seems like a lot--I have seen some authors with half that--but I rewrite a lot, and I'll need that time. Because of the way I work, I have divided up my larger deadline into smaller ones, and I have marks in the work that I have to hit every couple of weeks. If I haven't hit that, I fall behind, and that requires me to expend a bit more time in the day writing, or bail on a plan, or something similar. None of it is a particular problem, but it explains the blog silence over the last week and a bit. I suspect it'll happen here and there, as well, and I apologise if you come by and there's nothing new for a few days here and there.

In the meantime, I have been watching the Australian media devour itself in an attempt to prove who is or isn't more sexist. Most recently, I saw Piers Akerman attempt to validate the question made by Howard Sattler on Insiders ("Is your partner gay?") and then claim it to be a left wing, blogsphere conspiracy that was kicking up a fuss about it. Of course, Akerman, who has been brought up on sexual harassment charges, as well as assault charges against a female editor, knows nothing of sexism, and we're all just making a mistake suggesting that he's nothing but a spineless, weak willed, climate denying, homophobic, sexist piece of garbage.

Yes, a mistake.

Frankly, I have been amazed and saddened by how awful Australia has generally been acting in the last few weeks, not to mention the months and years of this. I thought equality was a thing we had all agreed upon as being good and important? I get that you might not like Julia Gillard, or another woman, but what, you can't mount a critique of their ideas? You can't be reasoned and informed? There's enough there to argue that Gillard's Labor has been unsuccessful at times (and successful at others) and you don't need to suggest her partner is gay, or write offensive menus where you refer to her vagina as a big red box. It's shameful--it's shameful to me as an Australian person who is a man that you are doing this. If I was in another country now, I would claim to be Canadian or some shit, rather than be associated with what you are doing.

I could go on, and on, but ultimately, it'd come back to not understanding why.

Why?

Why do this?

Don't you have mothers and daughters and partners, Australia? Don't you have female friends?

Do you all want to be known as a misogynistic, hate filled religious country without the obscenely conservative religious views?

It is sexist and it is degrading and it is shameful and it needs to stop.